


Connor: Becoming Human

by boyoboy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Slightly altered universe, Slow Burn, will explain in notes briefly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-05 11:15:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15169514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boyoboy/pseuds/boyoboy
Summary: Connor is the new android detective sent by Cyberlife at the Detroit Police Department, slowly adjusting to his hard-boiled eccentric partner Lieutenant Hank Anderson and cracking down on cases involving the rising deviant population crisis. And as if those two tasks weren't enough for him to tackle, he's suddenly faced with his most curious case yet - a young impressionable deputy having an office crush on him.Will the young deputy ever find her chance at love with an android? Will Connor ever fully understand the human condition? Will Hank ever finally get some damn rest and go to therapy? And can a single fan fiction alone rewrite a terribly shitty laid out in-game universe?All this and more in the thrilling tale of Connor: Becoming Human!(Will attempt to update bi/weekly, but honestly I don't know how long I'm going to be writing this for)





	1. The "Mixtape"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! My name is Adler, and I’m the writer of this fic. I’m just putting in this little intro in to put out some thoughts I have about D:BH and how this will be affecting my writing, so if you’re interested then you’re welcome to read! If you wanna just get to the good stuff though, you can just scroll on down, no hard feelings ;)  
> So! First thing - the main character of this series is in fact inspired by myself, because im self indulgent and I love connor too much lmao. It’s just i know that sometime self insert characters are kind of annoying rather than just writing it in the you perspective, but i would hope yall wouldnt mind and read along with my antics!  
> Next, i want to talk about the concept of deviancy. I honestly i think D:BH did an awful job at portraying it, doing so in a very black and white context that i thought was very disappointing. So, along with another minor plot change, i plan to expand on this topic and make it more digestible and realistic. This brings me to another point: after doing a brief little bit of research, i found out that the whole plot of d:bh actually takes place over the course of less than a week, and the fact that it did i found to be mind blowing and very unrealistic as well. So! Im taking the liberty of extending the timeline, at least to make it a few months or so. That way everything i want to put in the story can be more fleshed out! Also, it makes the whole thing more reasonable in my opinion.
> 
> so, thats basically it! feel free to hit me with questions about stuff, criticism is also greatly appreciated, and i hope you enjoy! this is my first ao3 fic and in general my first fic in a looooong time, so bear with me here!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor confides in Hank about strange interactions he's had with a young deputy named Adler Jane. Adler gives Connor a gift. Connor jams out to some love songs. Hank just can't wait to go home.

Connor had seen how humans handle themselves before on a day to day basis. He’s analyzed and watched their every move, noting their interactions with other humans and their changes in mood. Even with all the research he had done in the field, the time he spent with Hank and other higher up officers, and even with his basic programming, there was suddenly a puzzle in front of him he couldn’t quite solve. His synthetic brown eyes were set on a young deputy, who had been inaugurated into the station not too long before he came in himself - she had just a few months on him. He pulls up her file for a brief reminder: Adler Jane, 24, Female, Caucasian, short blonde hair, blue eyes, pale skin dotted with freckles, and a small but shapely figure standing at 5’4.5”. No previous criminal record, graduated from a mediocre police academy with straight B’s, and yet...nothing to explain her current behaviors.

The odd demeanor in question wasn’t just something like an odd tick or a quick temper - he would at least know how to deal with that - it specifically happened whenever she was in his presence, or at least that’s what he had been able to pick up on thus far. He could sense quite literally when her pulse quickened around him, and she was usually quiet with her words whenever they spoke. However, every time they talked, she would always ask some sort of question; yesterday, what kind of music he listened to. The day before, if he had a favorite movie. Before that, if he had any places he liked to “hang out” at. He answered as appropriately as any android could; reminding her that, as an android, he had no real preference for anything, to which she would reply with an apology, and leave him alone. Yet despite her physical expressions showing defeat, she came back every day, wanting to know more seemingly useless facts about him. Nothing pertaining to her current assignments or investigations, and certainly nothing pertaining to his own investigations into deviants. Just...nothing.

“Hey, Connor.”

Hank’s voice snaps him back from his processing, his LED turning back from yellow to his classic blue. “Yes?”

“...Why are you staring at that deputy?” He asked, gesturing to her discreetly. She was working at her desk with her back to them, not paying attention since she had headphones in. Probably working on filing paperwork from cases this week.

“She’s been acting strange around me, Hank.” Connor said, “She's always asking me odd questions, and they never pertain to any cases we have, or she has for that matter.”

Hank, for once, looked slightly intrigued. “What kinda questions?”

“Well...what kind of music I like, what movies I watch...questions relating to very mundane and human activities. Not to mention it’s in my programming to not have preferences for anything.”

Hank just stares at him. “...Right.” He glances back at her as he replied.

Connor just nods. “It’s odd isn’t it? I just don’t understand it.”

Suddenly, they noticed she took out her headphones, Connor and Hank quickly making it look like they were working by nonsensically shuffling papers around. She got out of her chair, glancing at her desk before brushing off her uniforms navy slacks, grabbing something out of a drawer, and walking over to them.

“Uhm, excuse me, Connor...you aren’t busy are you?”

Connor and Hank did their best to play it cool. “Of course, what can we do for you Deputy Jane?” Connor replied, and he could notice a slight flush in her cheeks. Her BPM was on the rise too.

“Well, I uh,” She glanced at Hank nervously, then back at Connor.

“...I’ll go grab a cup of coffee.” He stated plainly, getting up and walking towards the break room, leaving the two of them.

“Do you have something for me Deputy? Or perhaps another question?” Connor partially joked once Hank was seemingly out of earshot.

She chuckled nervously. “W-well no, I actually wanted to give you something.” She pulled a small envelope out of her pocket, handing it to him. “That’s for you, Connor...let me know how you like it, i-if you do at all of course.”

Normal protocol would be to tell her that he, again, can’t really have a preference or like something due to his programming, but something seemed to shift in him. He decided to stay silent instead, giving her a kind smile and making gentle eye contact. “Thank you Adler, I’ll let you know as soon as I figure out what it is.”

Her face flushed at being called by her first name, a seemingly rare occurrence for her, but she smiled with glee. “Oh, great! I’ll see you tomorrow then, since I’m heading out for tonight. I just...wanted to make sure you got that.”

With that, they said goodbyes, the deputy walking out with a skip in her step after collecting the rest of her things. Hank casually walked back to his desk when he noticed she left, actually having grabbed a cup of coffee.

“So? What’d she give you?” He said, eyeing the envelope curiously.

“I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t hurt to find out.” Connor replied, tearing the envelope open with ease. Inside, there was a simple folded piece of notebook paper, as well as a small USB hard drive - a pretty old, but still usable piece of technology.

“Good god...I haven’t seen those in a long time.” Hank said, taking the drive and looking it over. It was navy blue, very basic, with 16GB on it in silver lettering. He handed it back to Connor, who placed it on the table, and delicately started to open up the folded note. He detected it had been sprayed with something: perfume, vanilla scented - one he had also detected on Deputy Jane often. He also scanned the slightly sloppy and slouched writing - infamously the deputy’s as well. 

_ Dear Connor, _

_ I know this may seem silly, and in the back of my head I know you, like other androids, are just programmed in a certain way where you can’t quite connect with humans, but I want to share this with you anyways. On this hard drive is something I want you to give a listen; you obviously don’t have a favorite song, so I’m giving you some of mine. I guess this could technically be classified as a “mixtape”, but I hope that doesn’t deter you from giving it a try. And who knows, if you like this, maybe we could even see if you like some of my taste in movies too. _

_ Also, please don’t tell the rest of the department about this, I feel like they would just make fun of me even more than they do now. Just between us, okay? _

_ Sincerely, your Deputy _

_ P.S. You should smile more. You look more handsome that way. _

 

Connor felt something wash over him as he read that last line, but quickly dismissed it.

 

_ SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\ _

 

“Do you think I look more friendly if I smile, Lieutenant?” He asked, turning to Hank, who had been reading over his shoulder.

“...You really are stupid, Connor. But  _ this _ ,” He pointed to the note. “Is a brand new kind of stupid of the likes I’ve never seen.”

“What do you mean?”

Hank simply sighed. “She  _ likes _ you, dipshit!” He snarked, lightly slapping Connor on the back of the head.

“Well I’m aware of that Lieutenant.” He replied, rubbing the back of his head almost sheepishly. “She’s always very nice to me, as well as everyone else here.” 

Hank sighs, almost in defeat. “She doesn’t just like you Connor, she  _ likes _ you. Y'know,  _ romantically _ .”

“Romantically? But, I’m an android, Hank. We don’t have feelings.”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” He scoffed, picking up the hard drive again and examining it. “So...what kinda songs are on this thing anyways, you think?”

“Well, let’s see.” Connor declared, taking the hard drive back a final time before plugging it into the computer on his desk. On his desktop popped up a curious file under the name  _ CONNOR MIX _ , and upon opening the screen displayed a list of about 20 or so songs, all a mix of genres, artists, and time periods. However, most of them, if not all, had one slight common thread - they seemed to be related to the topic of love. 

Hank, who had now scooted closer to his partner’s desk out of continued curiosity, glanced over the playlist and groaned, almost disappointed. “My god, if this doesn’t scream puppy love, I don’t know what love is anymore. _Carly Rae Jepsen_ , _Wham!_...I’ll at least give her props for _Rush_.”

Connor wasn’t really listening to Hank, scanning the list of songs and analyzing lyrics and melodies. His hypothesis was right: they  _ were _ all love songs. If this didn’t confirm the deputy had romantic feelings for Connor, he couldn’t process it if the concept was force fed to him through Cyber Life itself. He felt as thought he knew what to do, but also felt it would hurt Adler’s feelings if he had to tell her she couldn’t run an investigation seriously with this mindset towards him-

 

_ SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\ _

 

He...didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I mean, of course he didn’t want to compromise her, and therefore her work, but he felt there was another motive behind saying that. Something...like empathy, almost. He nearly scoffed at the thought; an android with the capacity for love and empathy, two of the most compromising human emotions, was completely inconceivable. However, he decided to keep it to himself.

Hank lightly shoves his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance once again. “C’mon Connor, even an android has to find this a  _ little  _ funny.”

He nods, cracking a slight smile. “Yeah, I guess you could call it that.”

 

After finishing up with Hank in the station later that night, Connor went to his designated charging station, remaining stoic as he scrolled through the list of songs Adler had picked for him. Even considering  _ that _ , the very thought that she hand picked each song, with  _ him _ in mind, seemed to surprise and defy his programming. However he did admit, humans have the capacity to be rather quick and careless with attachments. He was quick to dismiss his train of thought however, shifting it to the back of his mind after selecting a song at random:  _ Falling for U _ by an artist called _Peachy!_. He listened to the lyrics carefully, evaluating them at face value at first, but then deciding upon a new tactic: placing them in the mindset of the deputy herself. He thought of her singing the song, perhaps to herself as she worked through her day - he did always catch her humming a friendly tune while in the thick of her files. She always seemed, like the song, innocent and sweet.

Connor may not have known how romantic love functioned with humans, and he could barely process someone feeling that way for an android, let alone him in particular...yet, he listened to her playlist through the night, making sure to mark songs he found particularly appealing to tell her about the next morning. Most importantly he, subconsciously and without really knowing, smiled as he listened. It was soft and barely noticeable, but it wasn't because of someone being there, not because of faulty glitch, but...perhaps because of something new.


	2. The Little Deputy That Could

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank and Connor investigate a new deviant case, Deputy Jane coming along with them. Connor unintentionally accepts a date offer. Adler quickly learns she has a thing for taller men. Hank has to deal with this puppy love bullshit, yet secretly loves to hear about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! i know i said id update biweekly but since im still trying to get this off the ground i might as well post this now lmao
> 
> next chapter will be july 25th since im working on a bday side fic for a friend (that i may or may not post later :3)! comments and kudos are always appreciated!!

The next morning was bright and early for the officers, as they always were. Hank and Connor were scoping out another scene where a deviant went haywire, however this time for once, it was without human casualties. It was 6:15 am, the sun cracking open the day with dawn on the horizon. A section of the road had been cut off with police tape, marking the location of the incident in question. A car was slightly dented, as if it had hit a medium-sized animal, but it seemed to be covered in blue blood. Not far from the site of the crash was a dislocated and sloppy android arm, nearly ripped to shreds, leaving a trail of blue blood in it’s short wake. Connor pulled up the case file in his peripherals: at 5:37 am, a person called in an accident with an android, followed by an older male, about 5’7” with dark hair and a dark black trench coat. The man supposedly sicked a dog - a Rottweiler from the account - to attack the android. It screamed and apparently tore its own arm off to get away, and the man pursued it along with the dog, after obviously tearing the remainder of the arm to shreds. The police were called and they attempted to track the man and the android down, but no leads to where they disappeared had been found.

Soon, another police car pulled onto the scene, smoothly parking before powering off. Out of the car stepped another officer and Deputy Jane, who were apparently deep in conversation.

“Look, I’m not _saying_ you’re wrong,” Adler commented to the officer, “it’s just that’s, like, some conspiracy level shit dude.”

“Well _I’m_ saying those fucking cashier robots could probably overtake us all. Even if they’re too stupid to, they’re still creepy as all hell. I don’t trust them as far as I could throw them.”

Connor catches a quick glance at Adler before turning back to the scene, planning to talk to her later about the “mixtape” she made for him. He noticed Adler was holding a large paper bag, reaching in and handing out breakfast sandwiches to the other officers. Like he said the night before, she was always sweet to everyone, even to Hank on his worst days.

“Here you go Lieutenant: Ham, chorizo, cheese and egg, just how ya like it.” She says with a smile, handing a wrapped sandwich of sorts to Hank.

The slightly hungover lieutenant nods back. “Thanks Adler, you’re a real lifesaver.” He takes a big bite before speaking through a mouthful of food. “The best damn tasting hangover cure in all of Detroit.”

She smiles, then looks over at Connor, blushing slightly before turning away. She fixes the beanie on her head with the police department’s insignia - it was growing chilly as November progressed -  moving so she could better observe the crime scene, which happened to be next to Connor. “So, a mystery man in black with a dog chasing after an android…you gonna work your magic Connor?”

He glanced at her, straightening his tie. “It’s not magic, Deputy. It’s purely technology.”

Hank groans at his quip, but soon Connor gets to work. He walks over to the hood of the car, scanning the indent: a small collision, enough to daze the driver who reported the incident. Judging from the size and minor descriptors, it was most likely the android that got caught in the collision. The driver stopped barely in time to not destroy or seriously injure it.

He then moves to the blue blood. He scrapes up some onto his fingers, rubbing it between them before briefly licking them, a sound of disgust emitting from Hank as he did so. It was the blood from a specific make of a VH500 android - Connor now had the identity of his victim.

“Can’t you tell CyberLife to make you analyze that shit some other way? Jesus!” Hank groaned, shaking his head.

“I can do my best to put a word in, Hank.” He simply replied. He couldn’t see Adler, but could sense her as she cleared her throat while moving behind him, starting to explore the sidewalk and alley near where the car crashed. With another quick glance he noticed she had a tinge of pink on her cheeks; he only assumed naturally it was from the colder temperatures. He stood back as he returned his focus to the crime scene, using his programming to form a scenario: the android, scared out of its mind, bolted into the street due to being pursued, not noticing the car driving down the road. The driver just barely crashed into it, causing slight damage to it’s waist area, hence the blue blood on the hood. Based on the shape on the indent, it seemed clear the android ran perpendicular to the car, rather than just hitting its front side, which would have caused a bigger indent. But, which way did it run from…

“Hey Connor! I think you’d wanna see this.”

He perked up to hear Adler calling him from the alley nearby, making his way over swiftly. The alley was a slightly tight squeeze with uncomfortable wire fencing around it, but with Adler’s smaller body it seemed she could better fit than him.

“What did you find Deputy?”

She points to a piece of cloth stuck to part of the fence, seemingly torn off of something. “It could be from the android, though I’m not a 100% sure. Could you check it out?”

Connor nods, reaching over her with ease due to his height. However, this caused him to lean over her, Adler almost coming into contact with his chest. He could sense her heartbeat speed up, but did his best to push it aside as he grabbed the evidence, moving back to analyze it. It was clearly torn from the outfit of a VH500 shop assistant android, since all androids in public spaces are required to wear garments to show that they are, in fact, androids, under the American Androids Act.

“This was torn from a VH500 model...but from where?” Connor wondered aloud, mostly for the sake of Adler. He looked down at her, and he noticed again her cheeks were a light pink; now it wasn’t just the cold, but perhaps she was blushing, as humans called it. “Do you have any ideas, Deputy Jane?” She blushed more, her breath picking up slightly. It _was_ a tight space, after all.

“Well, uhm...we could see if there are any shops on the other side of this alley. It is a shopper assistant android, right? That would be a good start…” Her eyes were darting from his eyes to around his body, since he practically towered over her.

Connor paused before responding. “...Are you claustrophobic, Deputy? Or do you perhaps find me unnerving?”

“Wh- Oh! No no, of course not Connor! It’s just, we never really have been this...close before.”

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

 

Connor looked down at her, his features softening for a single moment before stiffing back up to normal as he scooted away from her. “My sincerest apologies if I made you feel uncomfortable. If you can go through here, could you please investigate if there are some stores nearby and inquire about the missing android?”

“Yeah, of course!” She said still slightly flustered, giving him a small salute. “I’m on it!” She then started the shuffle her way through to the other side, but before Connor could leave, he paused one more time.

“Miss Adler?”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I...liked that “mixtape” you made me, and I thought you should know.” He said smoothly, nodding to her. She blushed once more, but smiled contently rather than seeming nervous.

“So you finally have that favorite song?” She joked with a laugh, but Connor actually nodded to her surprise.

“ _Madrigal_ by Rush.” He said plainly. “The melodies were...pleasant.”

Adler smiled softly, meeting his eyes as her blush now seemed more sweet than her previously anxious demeanor. “Good for you Connor. Maybe I could even show you more of their stuff sometime? I-If you’d like to, I mean.”

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

 

“...I would like that very much, Deputy.” Connor replied with a smile. “But let’s finish our investigation first.”

“O-oh yeah, of course!” She stuttered, but was smiling bashfully as she turned to leave. “I’ll let you know if I find anything!”

“And I will as well.” Connor replied, giving her a small salute before finally they both left to resume their investigations.

Upon returning to the site and making sure the new evidence was handled properly, Connor saw Hank was kneeling on the ground, observing the disheveled leftovers of the chewed up android arm. “Find anything new Connor?”

“Yes. It seems like the android ran into the street because it thought it was scared, presumably by the man mentioned in the report. Deputy Jane also found a scrap of cloth caught on a fence in the alley way nearby. It was from a VH500 android, and most likely indicates the direction it came from. The deputy is going to investigate any stores nearby and inquire about the missing android.”

Hank raised a brow. “Don’t you think she might need some back up?”

Connor shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Miss Jane is a qualified officer of the law, I’m sure she can handle herself.”

Hank almost looked concerned for a moment, but the look was quickly dismissed by his seemingly signature grunt. “So...did you talk to her about that stuff she gave you yesterday?”

Connor nodded hesitantly. “Yes. Why do you ask? I didn’t think you were the type to care about these sort of things, Lieutenant.”

He huffs. “Look, the last thing I want is an officer to be distracted by puppy love during an investigation; it slows everything down and is honestly really fuckin stupid.”

“I can at least agree with the distraction aspect, Lieutenant.” Connor admits. “But from my observations it doesn’t seem to be cutting into her work currently. She did find a crucial piece of evidence after all-”

Suddenly, there was burst of static from Hank’s walkie talkie he had clipped on his belt, followed by panicked breathing.

_“C-come in Lieutenant! This is Deputy Jane, please come in!”_

Hank quickly retrieves the device. “What’s the situation deputy, are you alright?”

 _“N-no! Well, yes, I’m just a little startled...I found the android sir, o-or what remains of it-”_ Suddenly there was some shuffling and a low droning noise, followed by a scream. The thunderous echo of a gunshot soon followed, everyone at the scene’s heads whipping in the direction it came from. It was scarily close.

Connor jumped up, sprinting towards the alley, Hank still trying to collect himself. “ _CONNOR!!_ ” He angrily called out, but the android was already gone. “God damnit...I really can’t catch a break with that son of a bitch.” He scoffed, then gathering some officers to follow in pursuit.


	3. Adapting to Human Behavior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After hearing the distress call from Deputy Jane, everyone is rushing to see what's wrong. Adler goes into shock. Connor is reminded of what fear looks like. Hank is just trying to understand what the hell is going on.
> 
> (trigger warnings: mention of vomit, slight graphic depiction of android gore)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao my update schedule is really hard for me to want to keep up at this point. next chapter sometime next week! kudos and comments are always appreciated!!

Connor located the deputy’s transmission signal about a block away, not taking long to reach her, nearly skidding to a stop around the corner of her location. She was behind a local restaurant, closed since it was still early in the morning, and Connor could clearly hear   signs of a struggle. He pulled out his gun and rounded the corner, stumbling upon a horrific scene; an android, extremely damaged and covered in a mix of blue blood and other various grime, was on top of Deputy Jane, its face practically centimeters from her own.

“LEt Me di E, thE Re iS onL y Su fErinG fo R mE.” The robot spoke in broken and garbled speech to the trembling officer. Its body looked nearly torn to shreds, its neck slit with wires and blue blood leaking from it. Its face looked as it had been thoroughly beaten repeatedly in with a blunt object like a baseball bat. It’s LED was rapidly flashing red - it’s stress was extremely high, securing the risk of it possibly exploding. The android was also missing a hand, the other only slightly intact one attempting to wrestle the deputy’s weapon out of her own hand.

“STAND DOWN!” Connor yelled at the android, gaining both parties’ attention. “Remove yourself from the officer, or I will be forced to take action.”

The android paused, while Adler looked at Connor with a look he had only seen on one other human: that little girl from his very first mission. Her lips were trembling, her eyes widened and her pupils nearly minuscule to the human eye. Her heart rate was higher than he had ever seen, and her breathing was rapid and inconsistent. She was, in every sense of the word, completely and utterly terrified.

Suddenly out of nowhere, the android’s hand moved from taking the gun to the deputy’s neck, quickly tightening its grasp as Adler desperately started to gasp for air.

“kiL Lm E, oR She Wil L be Ki LLe-”

Connor didn’t hesitate, firing a bullet straight into its synthetic skull. It froze, lifeless on top of the deputy, who still struggled to breathe. Connor acted quickly and went to Adler's aid, grabbing onto the hand around her neck. He pulled with both hands, displaying inhumane strength as he practically tore the hand in two, freeing the deputy as she gasped for air. Once she got her bearings, Adler nearly tackled him to the ground as she wrapped her arms around him, sobbing wildly into his shoulder. She attempted to speak, but couldn’t even get a proper coherent word out. He could feel her practically vibrate in his arms out of fear, her heart rate racing higher than he had ever seen. She even started coughing sporadically, showing clear diagnosable symptoms of a massive panic attack. Connor was almost overwhelmed with her violent reaction, doing his best to comfort her by being complacent and holding her close.

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

 

“It’s going to be okay deputy, you’re safe now.”

Her knuckles were pure white with the force she was grabbing the collar of his jacket - he even wondered if she might tear it. Eventually her coughing peaked, and she unexpectedly pushed Connor away, heaving and supporting herself on her knees and forearms as if she was going to vomit. It didn’t take much longer for Hank and the other officers to arrive, the lieutenant's eyes widening at the scene. “Holy shit…Connor, what the fuck happened?!”

Connor simply looked up at Hank, rubbing Adler’s back as she continued to heave and vomit onto the concrete. “The deputy was attacked by the android, who I assume was found in that trash receptacle.” He pointed to the dumpster against the wall of the restaurant. “When I arrived the android threatened to kill her through strangulation unless itself was killed, so I shot it as to ensure the deputy was safe.” He looked down at Adler, now poorly attempting to collect herself as she wiped some vomit weakly off of her mouth with her sleeve. 

“I’ll call an ambulance.” Connor stated, his LED turning yellow as he processed the call, but a weak grunt of protest arose from Deputy Jane.

“I-I don’t need an ambulance...I-I’m fine…”

“Miss Jane, you’re going into shock," Connor proclaimed, grabbing her by the shoulders and attempting to gently lie her down back onto the ground. "You need medical services as soon as possible. Besides, they’re already on their way.” He even took the liberty of unbuttoning a few of the top buttons on her uniform to let her breathe, raising a red color to Adler's cheeks briefly.

She seemingly collapsed on the pavement, no longer fighting her sudden exhaustion. “I-I’m...sorry I fucked up lieutenant.” She admitted, sounding distraught and defeated through her heaving breaths. Hank walked over to her, kneeling to meet her eyes and sighing heavily.

“It’s okay deputy. Your life was in danger, there was nothing else we could have done.” He simply said with a nod. “Just be grateful Connor was here to save your ass.” He looks over at Connor, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Oh...one more thing…” Adler heaved, trying to gather her fleeting thoughts. “There’s...a jewelry store down a few blocks...the main window is bashed open...I think that’s the place where it came from…” She seemed to be fading in and out, barely holding onto her consciousness.

“Fuck, c'mon Jane, stay with me here!” Hank looked alarmed now - an emotion rarely seen on him, Connor noted - as he shook her shoulders. As if on queue, the sirens of an ambulance could be heard, a few of the other officers on the scene making sure they knew where Adler was. Soon, a human and android paramedic brought over a gurney, asking questions about what had happened and the state of the deputy. The android attempted to pick her up, but Hank took a seemingly defensive stance, having himself and the human paramedic lay her down onto the gurney. Connor simply watched as all of this unfurled, knowing fully well that everything should be left to the professionals, but he felt something inside him stir. He wanted to almost say something to Adler before she was taken away, but he knew it probably wouldn’t matter since she was barely conscious...and yet.

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

 

He walked over just before they were going to push her into the vehicle, seeming to hesitate before speaking.

“...You’re going to be alright, Deputy.”

He said it in his firm and familiar android tone, but he knew there was no particular reason to. She didn’t seem afraid of being sent off in the ambulance, and according to his calculations she had a 96.8% chance of surviving, but it almost was as if he was saying it more for himself than for Adler. However, even in her fading mental state, Adler found the strength to smile at him. The doors then shut after the paramedics finished putting her in, the ambulance driving off with its sirens wailing once more. Even though she didn’t respond with a single word, Adler’s smile seemingly took a mysterious unknown weight off Connor's shoulders.

Connor then turned back to the destroyed android he shot, the bullet hole he left as its only clean wound. A quick scan revealed that not only were there no hand prints or apparent human mishandling of the android, but this was, in fact, a different android than the one they were looking for.

“Hank, this android still has both of its arms.” Connor clearly pointed out.

“Way to go, captain obvious.” Hank huffed, approaching the body after seemingly collecting himself. “So...this was a completely different android?”

After some processing, Connor walked casually over to the dumpster the android came out of, surveying the inside before hoisting himself up so he could dig deeper.

“For christ’s sake Connor, have some dignity!” Hank groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And you better get a fuckin shower after this.”

Connor then came out without a word, holding up what he had intended to find; a tatter and very torn, but surprisingly still discernible piece of fabric, and on it was the androids make and model - VH500.

“Same model, different android. And, by the looks of the fabrics branding, they worked in the same store.” He said plainly, holding out the fabric to Hank, who immediately recoiled.  
“Jesus Connor, can’t you just throw it in an evidence bag or somethin?” He said, clearly bothered by the smell and idea of touching something out of the dumpster, as any logical human would. Connor simply compiled, putting it carefully into a plastic evidence bag provided by one of the officers and brushing off any debris from the garbage off of his person. “Eugh...come on, let’s search the area. Try and find that store Adler was talking about.” Hank said, pinching his nose as he walked ahead.

The other officers as well as Hank and Connor dispersed after following proper protocol with handling the android’s lifeless corpse. The two walked in silent worry for the deputy, even catching a glimpse of the sirens in the distance.

“Poor kid.” Hank was the first to break the silence. “She’s usually stuck doing office work, so she rarely goes out into the field. I can’t imagine how scared shitless she was.” Hank confessed, shoving his hands into the pocket of his coat and looking up at the sky. Connor looked down at the ground slightly, his LED whirring with yellow light. He was trying to pinpoint the location of the jewelry store Adler mentioned, but there was something else nagging at him as he did so. He noticed increased at Hank’s mention of her inexperience, but, as he always does, he attempted to push it to the side, focusing on the task at hand. He located it with ease, Adler’s statement having been correct - it was a local jewelry shop, only a few blocks away, but-

“Lieutenant.”

“What is it Connor?”

“...How could have the deputy known the store was only a few blocks away, if it only took her about 7 minutes from when I left her to being tackled by the android in that back alley?”

Hank seemed to think for a moment, then stopped in his tracks.

“...That’s a good question for once from you Connor.” Hank half-complimented, then continuing to walk onward. “I think we should see first if she was right, then we can start asking her questions.”

Connor nodded, catching up with him as they both walked towards the jewelry store, but as they did so he couldn’t shake that question from his head - if she knew where the storefront was, that could even go as far as putting her down as a possible suspect in the case. Of course, if it was necessary they could obviously question her, but something once again arose in Connor, having him almost... _hope_ that it wasn’t the case.

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_


	4. Opening Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Adler gets shipped off to the hospital, Connor and Hank feel something off with how correct her information is regarding a jewelry store break in. Connor gets involved in cop gossip. Hank gets a rude awakening from his past. Adler nags at Connor's thoughts, even though she's knocked out in an ambulance miles away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY I FINALLY PUBLISHED THE NEXT THING LMAO! i will say writing might be slightly delayed for the next chapter since im actually moving and going back to school among other things, but i hope you guys stick around!! again critisism and comments are always appreciated!

After walking down those few blocks, it turned out that Adler was in fact correct: a local jewelry store’s front window was broken into shattered bits, the metal gate that usually blocked the window from being broken into having been forcibly pried open. Hank and Connor looked at each other, confirming both their suspicions - Adler was definitely going to be questioned after this.  A few other officers had arrived at the scene before them, and Hank dismissed himself to ask what they had found so far, leaving Connor to his own devices.

Connor walked closer to the broken window, and a quick look around made it obvious that it was broken from the inside - a break- _out_ rather than a break-in. It was apparent since the majority of shattered glass was all around the ground outside of the shop, making a satisfying crunching sound underneath his oxfords. There were smaller amounts of blue blood around the area, most likely from the android being cut by the jagged edges as it escaped. He also noticed a solid amount of jewels surprisingly still sitting on the window display, and with a scan to reassure his suspicions, they had miraculously remained untouched. Connor decided to walk into the shop through the front door, which was oddly still locked.

“The door out back was busted in, if you’re trying to get inside.” An officer called out, one that Connor recognized as the one Adler had been conversing with when she arrived at the initial crime scene. He walked ahead of the android, choosing not to look at him as he walked to the back entrance. Connor simply followed him, wanting to get inside the building so he could further analyze the situation. The door seemed to have been forced open, evidenced by the doorknob being throw on the ground just a few feet away. Not to mention no prints were found on it, just like the mishandled android from before.

Upon entering along with the other officer, Connor walked into a small room that looked like it was meant for appraising gems of all shapes, sizes and colors. It was closed off to the rest of the store through a solid metal door, but this one seemed to have been opened more meticulously than the busted in door prior. He also noticed near one of the appraising stations that there was a small monitor set with an ancient looking fuse box. Glued on top of it was a small but noticeable device, and upon further inspection it turned out to be a minor EMP device. Whoever broke in seemed to have used it to knock out the apparently old-fashioned security system. Passing through a velvet curtain out of the heavy metal door lead him to the main part of the jewelry store, various jewels and gems glimmering in the early morning light let in through shattered displays. Along with the undismissable amount of blue blood on the ground and walls, Connor noted there was a central display that seemed the most beat up out of all of them. Some shuffling in front of him indicated the other officer had made his way in as well, moving around to investigate.

“Wow...this is weirdly beautiful, huh?” The officer commented, which roused a raised brow from Connor.

“I suppose. Humans do seem to have an odd preference for what they believe is aesthetically pleasing.” He replied, which prompted a laugh from the officer.

“You got that right. If Adler were here she’d probably write one of her gushy slam poems about it.” He paused, then seemed to realize something. “Oh, I’m Offi-”

“Officer José Medina? There’s no need for introduction, I scanned you when you arrived at the first scene with Officer Jane.” Connor stated, seeming unmoved by Medina’s surprised expression. He also made sure to make a note about Adler writing poetry, thinking he could discuss it later with her.

“Man, you must be a riot at parties huh?” Medina sighed, joining the android in looking around the ravaged storefront.

“Well, as an android I have never attended such events, so I don’t believe I would be. In fact, I certainly would not be one, since riots are usually very chaotic and violent-”

“It was a rhetorical question.”  Medina cut him off in annoyed monotone, causing them to continue the investigation in momentary awkward silence.

Connor now made his way to the busted main display in the middle of the room, it’s top level being the main point of interest. Inside was a mannequin's chest, the type usually used in displaying necklaces, a torn gold chain resting around the back of its neck. Still no hand prints on anything, leaving Connor to wonder if this could have been the work of a deviant android as well, rather than just a human.

Suddenly, a yelp from Officer Medina shook him from his train of thought.

“FUCK, Jesus CHRIST...there’s an android over here.” He said shakily after catching his breath, Connor promptly making his way over. It was behind one of the countertop displays, a clear bullet hole placed in its head, along with other gruesome injuries. A VH500 model clearly, and it had the same uniform from that the strip of cloth Adler found, as well as the android from the dumpster had. It was clearly damaged beyond repair, so there was nothing Connor could possibly probe from it, only making this whole investigation that much more difficult.

“God...I know it’s not human, but it’s still so _disturbing_.” Medina commented, kneeling down and poking it with his police baton.

“If it puts you at ease, androids do not contain the nerve receptors to feel pain, so it did not suffer.” Connor stated plainly, just trying to help.

“Thanks.” Medina murmured dryly, standing back up and sighing as he continued to look around. “I still don’t understand what Adler sees in you, honestly.”

Connor cocked his head, almost like a puppy, out of curiosity. “What do you mean?”

Medina held back a laugh. “She talks about you a lot man, let me tell you. It’s probably because she didn’t grow up around androids much and is pretty new to them, but even with that it’s still ridiculous to say the least.”

Connor paused for a moment as he contemplated a question he suddenly wanted to ask. He was _supposed_ to be 100% focused on his mission and finding clues for this so far seemingly impossible case, but something was suddenly nagging at the back of his consciousness.

 

_SOFTWARE INSTABILITY /\_

 

“If you would indulge me officer, what exactly does she say about me?” Connor asked, deciding to indulge his minor curiosity, then justifying it through attempting to connect with the other officer and ease possible tensions. Medina definitely noticed, giving Connor a sly look with squinted, suspicious eyes. However he smirked, also deciding to indulge in this gossipy moment.

“Well, where do I start?” He shrugged, looking around as if he were nonchalant about the subject. “She always talks about how you’re basically one of a kind ever since word got out we’d have an android on board. Like I said, she isn’t quite used to androids being an everyday thing, so she took a lot of interest in you...but then, the day you finally came into the station, _hoo_ boy.” He chuckled to himself. “I remember it crystal clear. The first thing she did was run over to Polly - she’s another deputy at the station, by the way - and said, “ _Shit, I didn’t know he was going to be_ that _hot_.”” At this point Medina had broken out into full laughter, while Connor processed the information presented to him.

“So, she finds me physically attractive?” Connor asked, confirming his seemingly obvious android obliviousness.

“ _Oh_ yeah. She has a real big thing for skinny nerdy-looking white guys, and you are a perfect fit my friend.” Medina was smiling as he walked back over to the main case Connor had been investigating earlier. “By the way, if you ever talk to her about it for god knows what reason, we never had this conversation.” Medina then squatted down to the lower levels to look closer, and his shit eating grin was quickly replaced by a concerned, furrowed brow. “Hey, do you know if this jewelry shop has a brand or logo of some sort?”

Connor did a quick backtrack through his stockpiles of data. “There doesn’t appear to be. Did you find something?”

“Yeah, c’mere.” Connor made his way over, now being drawn to what caught Medina’s attention - a blackened symbol imbedded into the velvet interior of one of the lower jewelry cases in this main display. It was a simple insignia, and was in the shape of a diamond - the jewel, not the simple shape - inside of a circle with an X drawn over the interior, like a railroad crossing sign. It also looked as if it had been burned into the apolustry with something like a cow prodder, and it had been imbedded fairly recently too: there was the lightest detection of heat Connor could pick up on, dating back to about two and a half hours prior.

“This symbol was imprinted at the time of the robbery.” Connor stated, scanning through the police database to see if the symbol matched anything they had recorded previously. He ended up finding a quite a few, the earliest dating back to 2024. “I believe this is the insignia of the Black Diamond crime syndicate.”

Medina looked a bit taken aback, but after reexamining the mark his eyes widened. “Fuck, I think you’re right. Aw man, Hank is gonna lose his shit-”

  
“Lose my shit over what?”

 

Connor and Medina both quickly turned to see Hank entering the shop with a few other officers, arms crossed in front of him. Connor decided to simply tell Hank about the symbol, despite the clear worried context and cadence of Medina’s off-handed comment.

“Officer Medina found a symbol seemingly burned into the velvet fabric of this main display case. After looking through older police files, it seems to align with a crime ring known as the Black Diamond.”

Hank’s eyes widened. “No fuckin way.” He stated firmly, quickly making his over to see the marking himself, practically shoving Connor and Medina out of his way. “...You gotta be _fuckin_ kidding me.”

Medina sighed. “I thought you guys wiped them out in those red ice raids. Guess some roaches slipped through the cracks.”

Hank stands up straight, rubbing his face with his hand. “They always do, those fuckers…” He ran his hand through his hair, meanwhile Connor was reading through the files he had collected about the syndicate. The Black Diamond had started as a group of red ice smugglers that quickly grew with the growing population and tensions in Detroit. Red ice was still their main product, but other smaller reports had claimed to them doing a little bit of everything, from stealing artwork and jewels, to even going as far to have members be hired as hitmen and professional assassins. They were essentially a modern mega-evolved mafia. They were thought to have been mainly dispersed in the famous red ice raids led by Lieutenant Anderson himself back in 2027  - his main claim to fame - but, like Medina said, some of the syndicate must have survived.

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling up outside the shop grabbed Connor’s attention. Through the shattered front window it was a bright red truck, and out hopped a small older woman still in her sleepwear and a heavy winter coat.

“What the hell happened to my store?!” She cried out, now grabbing the attention of Hank as well as the other officers. They could all see one of them try to consult her outside, and Hank sighed and glanced briefly at Connor.

“Great. Now I got this to deal with...c’mon.” He grunted as he walked out the back of the store, Connor following after him.

Once outside, Hank waded his way through the now slushy snow over to the woman in question. A quick scan from Connor showed her to be Mrs. Ellen Barr, one of the co-owners of the store along with her husband. She was in her early 60’s, caucasian with salt and pepper hair pulled into a messy bun, indicating her rushed arrival.

“Ma’am, my name is Lieutenant Hank Anderson, I work with the DPD. We were investigating a case of a missing android nearby when an officer found a link to the android and your store being broken into. You mind answering some questions for us?”

The woman looked as if she wanted to scream at them, even with Hank’s seemingly collected temper, but she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose defeatedly. “Of course, I don’t want to cause any trouble…” She looked over Hank, then Connor, but he seemingly dismissed his presence.

“Alright, so, you’re the owner of this store, Miss...”

“Ellen Barr, and yes, I’m a co-owner. My husband is the other, but he hasn’t been in the best health recently…” She seemed distraught by the mere mention of it, but Hank sighed.

“The android I mentioned earlier was apparently one of yours. Got chased down by some guy in black with a dog and hit by a car. I assume you weren’t aware of this?”

The woman looked very alarmed. “No, not at all! I have no clue what the hell happened here, officer.”

“Where were you the night of the robbery, ma’am?” Hank asked calmly, just going through the basic motions.

“Well...I closed up the store around 8pm, all four of my androids still there-”

“Four?” Hank noticed, raising a brow.

“Yes, we had four of them. We get quite a few customers despite our small storefront, plus it gives my husband and I more freedom in our schedules.”

“We’ve only found 2 of them ma’am, and the two we’ve found have been heavily damaged and destroyed. Another one we found it’s leftover arm in the street, and we had no clue there was the possibility of a fourth.”

Mrs. Barr looked distraught, and even almost sad. “Those androids helped us so much… they were such sweet girls.”

“I’m sure they were." Hank noted almost dismissively. "So, after you closed?”

“Oh, well, I went to the hospital to visit my husband, stayed there until about 10pm - since he’s still in critical condition and visiting hours are very limited - then I went back home and went to sleep.”

Connor suddenly decided to butt in, wanting to know more about the aforementioned androids. “Were any of them acting suspicious or odd the night of the robbery?”

The woman looked over Connor once more, then sighed. “No. They only asked about my husband’s health, tended to customers and helped me close.”

Hank squinted at Connor, then turned back to Ellen. “Ma’am, what exactly happened to your husband, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The woman sighed, looking away. “He...he was attacked. He was closing the store a few nights ago and called me and said he needed to go to the hospital. I found him beaten and bruised half to death, but he didn’t want me to call the police. H-he said it was just some hoodlums trying to rob him, and it wouldn’t have been the first time but...he almost died.”

Hank looked over at Connor, a brow raised as they both considered the same possibility.

“Mrs. Barr,” Connor asked once more, “Are you aware of the crime ring known as the Black Dia-”

A fearful screech abruptly came from the inside of the store, along with a few surprised shouts from officers.

“HOW MANY ANDROIDS ARE IN THIS FUCKING PLACE?!?!?!” They heard Medina yell from inside. Ellen was surprisingly the first one to spring into action, racing to unlock the front door to her shop and doing so with incredible speed despite her age. Hank and Connor raced after her as they barged into the store and the situation before them. There was yet _another_ VH500 android, collapsed on the ground but still alive, and breathing as heavily as an android could. It’s LED was flashing red, it’s stress clearly through the roof. Ellen burst through the cops surrounding the android at gun point, kneeling onto the ground to comfort it. The android’s light immediately turned yellow at the sight of the familiar face, realistic looking tears streaming onto its synthetic cheeks. The android then hugged her, Ellen having a slightly awkward response as she stiffly hugged it back, looking up at Hank and Connor with heavy concern in her expression.

“I think it would be better if we took you two to the station, Mrs. Barr.” Hank stated, Ellen nodding as she continued to attempt to soothe the android. Connor just blankly stared at the scene unfurled before him, noting briefly of how the android reminded him of Adler just moments ago. He then seemed to walk over and kneel in front of the android so he was facing it.

“Do you have a name?” He asked, making his voice quiet and calm.

“...Angela.” The android stated, sniffling as she clung to her owner like a lost child.

“Well, Angela, I promise that if you come to the station with us, you won’t be hurt. Also if you can tell us what happened, we can get to the bottom of this and catch whoever this mystery man is that did this-”

The android scoffed at Connor, almost laughing at him. “You’re wrong there, sir. No human would be such a monster.”

“You’d be surprised.” Hank commented, but Connor glanced at him to make sure he had the situation under control. Ellen then helped the android up, cooing to her about taking her to the station, Hank deciding to let them ride there together in her truck followed by police escort. Connor then piled into Hank’s car, following behind the escort back to the station as a few officers stayed behind to further investigate the scene. They rode in silence, Hank looking scarily grim about all of these new developments. Connor decided it was best to leave the lieutenant with his brewing thoughts, not wanting to make the tensions worse. He acknowledged that this case may certainly have more to it than it seemed, leaving to wonder how far this now possible android perpetrator had gone with this operation. Connor knew of deviants that acted violently towards their owners, but they were mostly out of the android’s self defense. The very idea of an deviant turning into a psychopathic assassin, while totally and terrifyingly plausible, certainly carried a dangerous air around it like no other. It could essentially mean this was the crafting of a perfect killer. And if that kind of murderous power got into the hands of one of the most infamous crime rings in Detroit, it felt as though, as humans would say, all hell was about to break loose.

Connor now had a new secure mission in place...and he always accomplished his mission.


End file.
